Fiach Talks About His Music(Interview)

Deep in the heart of the Dublin music scene there’s this singer/songwriter by the name of Fiach Moriarty. How do you say his name? It actually sounds like Fee-ach. It is derived from an Irish Gaelic word which means ‘raven’.

His voice can drop into a nuance or break into high notes of poetic release. He has a distinct style of playing the guitar. He has shared the stage with the likes of Ray Davies, Eddi Reader, Mary Black, Damien Dempsey, Kila, Freddie White, Sinéad O’Connor, Damien Rice and Paddy Casey. Fiach is Dublin’s local hero. Ask people whom he shared the stage with. Ask the audience who dropped by on the gig. Ask the bar man. They all have something good to say about him. Because his stage charisma translates to his daily life. It’s a package deal. You get what you see.

It is surprising that it’s only now that he’s able to release an album. But think about it. Most artists out there start in the business very young and not really knowing what they want. Most of the time it’s the music industry that dictates what kind of music they put out -or the kind of ‘look’ they have to cultivate to appeal to the masses.

After years of cultivating his art, Fiach finally got what he always wanted. So I is an album of beautifully crafted songs coming from the soul. It’s the kind of songs you want to wake up to or listen to on your bus ride home.

What an honor it is when celticmusicfan finally got a chance to chat with him .

1. You have a wonderful album out filled with really beautiful tunes, what inspired you to make So I?

It was a natural thing to do. I’ve been writing songs since I was a kid so the only real surprise for me was that it took this long for the debut album to come out.

2. I stumbled upon you in YouTube (Balcony TV)accidentally but what really glued me was the way you answer questions and yes your live performance was amazing. Where do you get your energy from?

Coffee and wheatgrass! :)

3.Your specific place of birth in Ireland totally escapes me. Where is this and do you think the atmosphere at geography of the place help shaped your music?

I was born in Dublin and grew up in Dublin. I would come in to the city every day as a young child with my father and that certainly had an influence on me I think. It is a wonderful city with lots of character and beauty and it helped shape me as a person. Naturally, as a songwriter, for me songs are all about the personal touch and for that I think you can hear Dublin and indeed Ireland in my music.

4.I am glad to note that you came first in the annual Celtic Language Contest in Inverness Scotland. How did this come to be?

It was a contest that was originally held on Raidió na Gaeltachta in Ireland, our national Irish language radio station. I didn’t get through. My friend Enda Reilly did but I was later chosen as a kind of wildcard entry by the judging panel in Scotland and luckily got to go over and perform at the contest.

5. You also sing in Gaelic which I think is wonderful. Do you think there is an increasing popularity in the language now than say…10 years ago? I also read that Irish has became an official language of the EU. What’s your take on this?

There has been a series of cd’s over the past few years called CEOL featuring popular Irish and international artists singing their songs in Gaelic and that has certainly helped popularise the language more so recently.

Also I think with the Good Friday agreement which happened a few years ago in Belfast the language is less so considered political and is seen on its own merits.

The areas where I really see the language thriving are Dublin and Belfast.

6.What’s a day in the studio like?

Long and tiring but can be very rewarding. It’s important to take breaks because the ears can get very tired and it can become difficult to hear things that would otherwise be clear to hear.

7.Any musician you want to collaborate with in the future?

I was asked this question a while ago and said I would love to collaborate with Air. I’ll stick with that for now.

8. What are your current top 10 albums in your collection?

In no particular order, this is what I’m listening to at the moment -

Nirvana – Nevermind

Beatles – Abbey Road

Thin Lizzy – Jailbreak

Colm Lynch – Ticketyboo

Nat King Cole – One And Only

Ian Dury – Reasons To Be Cheerful
Radiohead – Ok Computer

Rufus Wainwright – Release The Stars

Soundgarden – Superunknown

Oliver Cole – We Albatri

9. In So I, what were the great moments you remember creating this album?

I remember recording ‘Letting Go’ and it was absolutely freezing because the studio is the upstairs of a kind of warehouse. It took me ages to nail it because I was recording it live and the guitar is a plucking style that’s a little intricate. That is a very difficult thing to do with frozen fingers.

I eventually got it down and it was raining really hard on the corrugated roof. So if you listen closely at the end of that track you’ll hear the rain which I think adds a nice effect to the song.

10. I am having a love affair with your song Married to Music. I just love the way it’s written, the chords, the melody and your sunny voice. Tell me more about it.

It was a song I started a few years ago basically saying that no matter what happens I will always have music in my life. I also mention some of the streets and places around where I live and where my grandmother grew up in Dublin. She was very much a music fan and I spent a lot of time with her growing up.

11.The single off this album is called Dignity. Tell us something about this song. It’s really a beautiful track with chords that evoke the carefree feeling. Here, your voice sounds perfect.

The song was written after a break-up I had when I was about 20. I felt pretty desperate but initially wrote it as a funny song because everything seemed to be going wrong for me. In the end it turned out as a kind of sweet song which I was pretty happy with. I was trying to poke fun at myself with it really but it turned out to be kind of sad and sweet. Basically I’m saying that I’ve gone through a hard time but still wishing the other person well in life.

12.What are the important things that you wish to carry out before 2010 ends?

I’m playing some gigs in London and one really nice one in Dublin with a friend of mine Colm Lynch right before Christmas that I’m looking forward to. I’ll more than likely be finishing off some new tracks in the studio too.

I know, people are talking about snow over there. I am also looking forward for your updates in going there in April. Who knows? You might get to see Fiach’s gig as well hehehehe. And also your favorite artists.

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